Predictions Realized: Top 10 Technological Advances That Came to Fruition

In the early days of the 20th century, visionary authors and thinkers began to paint vivid pictures of the world we now inhabit, filled with technology that seemed like science fiction at the time.

One such prophecy can be found in E.M. Forster's short story "The Machine Stops" (1909). Forster foresaw a screen-dependent world where people communicated through technology that resembles today's video calls. This was an astonishing prediction, considering video calls were still a distant dream in 1909.

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, in her novella "Sultana's Dream" (unknown year), also predicted video calls and weather control technology. Hossain's vision of a future where energy is harnessed from the sun to cook food and power flying cars is as captivating as it is prescient.

H.G. Wells, in his novel "The World Set Free" (1914), went a step further and predicted the existence of atomic bombs. Wells not only coined the term "atomic bombs" but also described the devastating aftermath of nuclear war, a chilling prediction that would come to pass in the following decades.

Fast forward to the 1960s, and authors were still ahead of their time. Alvin Toffler, in his 1965 novel, is credited with foreseeing the functionality of smartphones. Toffler described devices that combined communication and computing capabilities, a description that eerily resembles the smartphones we use today.

Frederik Pohl's novel "The Age of the Pussyfoot" (1965) also predicted smartphones, featuring a device called a "Joymaker" that functions like a modern smartphone.

Lastly, William Morrison's short story "The Sack" (1950) predicted Google and modern search engines. Morrison described an entity capable of answering factual questions instantly, a concept that forms the backbone of modern search engines.

While these predictions are fascinating, it's important to note that they are just predictions. The future is still uncertain, and while these authors gave us a glimpse of what was possible, the reality may be very different. Nonetheless, their visions serve as a reminder of the power of imagination and the potential for technology to shape our world.